How to Deal with Tiredness When Studying

When you have an important exam coming up, you are going to commit countless hours to preparing in the library or at your study area. No matter what time of day it is, staring at a computer screen or piece of paper for hours is going to make you a little sleepy. To help fight fatigue there are numerous methods to help make studying a little easier.

Protein Not Carbs

A healthy and beneficial diet can make a huge difference in the way you feel physically and mentally. Simple sugars that are found in most carbohydrates will give you a short high and a hard crash. Snacks such as baked goods or sugary items will make you feel wide awake for an hour or two but lead to a much longer stretch of fatigue. Having chicken for lunch or a protein smoothie as a snack can make a huge difference in your wakefulness. The high protein levels in these foods will take longer for your body to break down and limit heavy crashes.

Sleep

An obvious way to avoid being fatigued is to get a good nights rest. If you know you have an exam on Monday and you plan on spending all day Sunday studying, staying out late Saturday isn’t going to help. You should plan on getting at least eight hours of sleep the night before. While a short nap during the day may help, it can severely cut into your study time. If you get the recommended eight hours of sleep, your brain and body will be refreshed and prepared to extend your attention span to its fullest.

Hydrate

Drinking a large amount of water the day before and during a long study session, it will help immensely. Your body needs at least 8 cups of water per day to stay fully hydrated, much of which is utilized by the brain. If you are not fully hydrated, your body and your brain’s retention will be limited and sluggish. Cold water can be extremely helpful while you are studying because of the contrasting temperatures. It will force you to wake up while you drink. Who wouldn’t be woken up by ice cold water?

Caffeine

Another obvious method is to take caffeine. Sipping on an iced coffee while studying will give your hands and mouth the chance to execute motor skills and give your body an extra boost. The caffeine increases the reaction time of responses throughout your body, which keeps your brain working through fatigue. Although many of us love a packet or two of sugar in our coffee, it can lead to a slight crash, thus hindering the caffeine. Drinking a Café Moca that is full of chocolate and lathered in whipped cream will cancel out a lot of the effects of the coffee. Combining large amounts of water with the coffee will give you the most efficient outcome.

Interaction

Taking a break from the books to interact with people will also help both your attention span and fighting fatigue. Conversing with another will give you a mental break from the material, while stimulating muscles that are otherwise immovable. The increase in muscle stimulation will wake up the rest of your body that has been sitting in a chair for hours. The transmitters in your body will be more active thus activating your brain. It will also give your eyes a break from focusing on sentences or diagrams, and force them to move around and take in other sights.